Yearly Archives: 2020
Road To Guangdong Review – Journey To Nowhere
There are only two radio channels in the slice-of-life driving simulator, Road to Guangdong--one plays some blend of milquetoast "oriental" music, while the other broadcasts more upbeat and decidedly modern synthwave-inspired melodies. It's this gulf between the two genres that also seems to inspire one of the few highlights behind Road to Guangdong: the light-hearted ribbing between you and your Guu Ma--the Chinese honorific for aunts--as you embark on a road trip together. The elderly Guu Ma's disdain for the pulsating grooves of electronic music means she will always try to change the radio channel back to the vaguely Guangdong-esque music she's more familiar with, after much grumbling about the unrefined state of modern music. You can, of course, flip the channel back again, if only to annoy her--and cackle at her exasperation as she reaches out to change the music once again.
While this small interaction is mildly amusing, it doesn't sustain the game's novelty for long. Road to Guangdong is a long-winding, exhausting ride--and I don't mean in terms of hours. Not only is its pacing extremely sluggish, its characters' minimalist expressions are also overly mechanical and too limited in their range to convey any emotion--an unfortunate design choice that only brings more attention to the game's flat, lacklustre dialogues. This is made more apparent when Guu Ma occasionally sprinkles some canned advice over the course of your endless drives, one of which is a recurring suggestion to change your radio channel. But why would you suggest that, Guu Ma, if the only other option is these trance-like bangers you hate so much?
Continue Reading at GameSpotRoad To Guangdong Review – Journey To Nowhere
There are only two radio channels in the slice-of-life driving simulator, Road to Guangdong--one plays some blend of milquetoast "oriental" music, while the other broadcasts more upbeat and decidedly modern synthwave-inspired melodies. It's this gulf between the two genres that also seems to inspire one of the few highlights behind Road to Guangdong: the light-hearted ribbing between you and your Guu Ma--the Chinese honorific for aunts--as you embark on a road trip together. The elderly Guu Ma's disdain for the pulsating grooves of electronic music means she will always try to change the radio channel back to the vaguely Guangdong-esque music she's more familiar with, after much grumbling about the unrefined state of modern music. You can, of course, flip the channel back again, if only to annoy her--and cackle at her exasperation as she reaches out to change the music once again.
While this small interaction is mildly amusing, it doesn't sustain the game's novelty for long. Road to Guangdong is a long-winding, exhausting ride--and I don't mean in terms of hours. Not only is its pacing extremely sluggish, its characters' minimalist expressions are also overly mechanical and too limited in their range to convey any emotion--an unfortunate design choice that only brings more attention to the game's flat, lacklustre dialogues. This is made more apparent when Guu Ma occasionally sprinkles some canned advice over the course of your endless drives, one of which is a recurring suggestion to change your radio channel. But why would you suggest that, Guu Ma, if the only other option is these trance-like bangers you hate so much?
Continue Reading at GameSpotVampire: The Masquerade – Shadows Of New York Review
The set-up for Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York, the second V:TM visual novel following last year's Coteries of New York, is irresistible. The protagonist, Julia, is a newly turned vampire whose life as a struggling freelance investigative journalist is now thankfully behind her. But instead of living a glamorous, exciting vampire existence, she essentially becomes a glorified immigration officer, overseeing vampire movement in and out of New York. It's a rather drab existence until her background as a journalist gifts her an opportunity to head up an investigation concerning the locked-room murder of a high-profile vampire, and her future within New York's vampiric society will depend on whether she's able to solve the crime.
In practice, Shadows of New York is less exciting than this premise indicates. There's a murder, yes, and Julia has to solve it. But you, the player, are barely involved. This is a five-hour visual novel that's very low on meaningful choice and consequence, and while there will be some differences and unique elements to different playthroughs, your impact on the investigation is negligible. But even though it's light on player input, Shadows of New York is an entertaining visual novel for the most part, with an interesting central character, solid script, and strong presentation.
Shadows of New York is somewhere between a self-contained spin-off and a direct sequel to Coteries of New York. Julia and a few other characters are new, but most of the main cast carries over directly from that first game, including the murder victim. The main thrust of Shadows of New York's story involves meeting with the four characters who you could choose to serve in the first game's titular coterie, all of whom have some insight into the case and what happened… kind of. In truth, the investigation into the murder never really coheres into a satisfying whodunnit--you spend most of your time reading text that's projected over animated backgrounds and character portraits, and occasionally you get to make a choice about what Julie says or does next. However, these don't lead to meaningful consequences, with most of the major reveals happening right near the end. None of them are particularly surprising either.
Continue Reading at GameSpotVampire: The Masquerade – Shadows Of New York Review
The set-up for Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York, the second V:TM visual novel following last year's Coteries of New York, is irresistible. The protagonist, Julia, is a newly turned vampire whose life as a struggling freelance investigative journalist is now thankfully behind her. But instead of living a glamorous, exciting vampire existence, she essentially becomes a glorified immigration officer, overseeing vampire movement in and out of New York. It's a rather drab existence until her background as a journalist gifts her an opportunity to head up an investigation concerning the locked-room murder of a high-profile vampire, and her future within New York's vampiric society will depend on whether she's able to solve the crime.
In practice, Shadows of New York is less exciting than this premise indicates. There's a murder, yes, and Julia has to solve it. But you, the player, are barely involved. This is a five-hour visual novel that's very low on meaningful choice and consequence, and while there will be some differences and unique elements to different playthroughs, your impact on the investigation is negligible. But even though it's light on player input, Shadows of New York is an entertaining visual novel for the most part, with an interesting central character, solid script, and strong presentation.
Shadows of New York is somewhere between a self-contained spin-off and a direct sequel to Coteries of New York. Julia and a few other characters are new, but most of the main cast carries over directly from that first game, including the murder victim. The main thrust of Shadows of New York's story involves meeting with the four characters who you could choose to serve in the first game's titular coterie, all of whom have some insight into the case and what happened… kind of. In truth, the investigation into the murder never really coheres into a satisfying whodunnit--you spend most of your time reading text that's projected over animated backgrounds and character portraits, and occasionally you get to make a choice about what Julie says or does next. However, these don't lead to meaningful consequences, with most of the major reveals happening right near the end. None of them are particularly surprising either.
Continue Reading at GameSpotDonkey Kong Country 2 Leads September’s Switch Online SNES and NES Games
Ex-Cyberpunk, Dying Light Devs Announce The Invincible for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC
PS5: How to Watch the Sony Event Happening Tomorrow
PS5 Showcase Event Time and Date
The PS5 Showcase event will take place today, Wednesday, September 16 at 1 pm PDT, 4 pm EDT, and 9 pm BST. If you’re watching from Australia, that is Thursday, September 17 at 6 am AEST. The show will be about 40 minutes long.How to Watch the PS5 Showcase Event (September 2020)
As usual, we’ll be hosting the PS5 event across our channels on various platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and Twitter. We also have a pre and post-show planned where our hosts will talk about their expectations and impressions. Tune in 15 minutes earlier to catch the pre-show and immediately after for the post-show. Here's the full list of places to stream the PS5 Showcase:- IGN.com (homepage)
- IGN's Facebook Channel
- IGN’s Twitter
- IGN's Twitch Channel
- IGN’s Youtube Channel
- IGN's TikTok
- IGN's iOS App
- IGN's Android App
- IGN's PlayStation 4 App
- IGN's Xbox One App
- Roku
- IGN App for Android TV
- IGN for Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
- Pluto TV
- Plex Live TV
What to Expect From the PS5 Showcase
Officially, all we know about Wednesday's PlayStation event is that Sony has plans to give us, "one more look at some of the great games coming to PS5 at launch," as well as a look at some of the games expected to arrive post-launch. With Microsoft ahead of the curve for next-gen console prices and release date announcements, there's an expectation Sony will finally deliver on its own. The hope is that we'll officially get a list of PS5 launch games, as well as release dates and prices for both consoles. If you want a more in-depth look at what we already know about the PlayStation 5 and what to expect, make sure to check out our explainer on the PS5 Showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"]PS5: What to Expect From Sony’s Next-Gen Showcase
What Sony Has Said about the PS5 Event
Sony’s announcement of the PS5 showcase contains very little concrete details about the event, but it at least tells us this much:- The PS5 is still set for a holiday 2020 launch.
- The showcase will be “around 40 minutes,” so a bit shorter than the June PS5 reveal event.
- It will feature both first-party games and third-party titles.
- The focus is on both PS5 launch games, and some set to hit the next-gen system after launch.
PS5 Price and Release Date
While Sony’s announcement made no mention of either bit of info, the price and launch date are essential pieces of the PS5 puzzle that have to be answered. If included - and again, I can’t stress how much they have to be this late in the game - these will likely be the closing details of the show, but it’s information Sony has to get out there before next week. Preorders open up for Xbox’s next-gen consoles on September 22, and to not at least tell potential, swing buyers of your console’s availability will just make them all the more likely to buy the only console they can put money down on. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=725acab2-ed55-47eb-bbc4-22fabe9a6d51"]PS5 Games: First-Party Developed and Published Exclusives
Expect Sony’s first-party PS5 lineup to be the star of the show, both for launch and beyond. Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales is set for this holiday, and we’ve only gotten one teaser trailer and a few developer quotes so far. It’ll undoubtedly be one of Sony’s biggest bets on convincing people to buy a PS5 day one. And Insomniac Games’ other big PS5 exclusive, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, will also likely appear again. But given that we’ve now seen it at the PS5 showcase and Gamescom Opening Night Live, it may only be a brief appearance . (Though, personally, I will never tire of Clank’s acerbic but good-natured digs at Ratchet.) [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/ratchet-clank-rift-apart-ps5-gameplay-trailer"] As for already revealed games, Demon’s Souls feels like a safe bet, though it’s unclear how close to launch that remake will be released. A deeper look at Horizon Forbidden West - first gameplay perhaps? - could be utilized as a "wow" selling point, though we do know that sequel won’t hit the PS5 until 2021. Sony will also likely shine a spotlight on an unannounced exclusive or two, the biggest question marks being what Sony’s new team in the San Diego area is working on, as well as if we’ll see arguably the most anticipated unannounced Sony game, a God of War sequel.PS5 Games: Third-Party Exclusives and Multiplatform Games
But even if some of Sony’s first-party stable is quiet, expect to see plenty of other exclusives touted during the event. Even if they’re PC and PS5 like Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo exclusives or timed ones like Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4, Sony will want to bring out as many examples as possible why Sony is the next-gen console to buy over the competition. That’s what June’s showcase was all about — while several multiplatform games appeared, the majority were entirely or at least console exclusive. And in the months since, Sony has shown no interest in slowing down its exclusive acquisitions. From continued deals for timed exclusivity on Call of Duty elements to Spider-Man being a platform exclusive for Marvel’s Avengers, this is Sony’s strategy. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-playstation-exclusive-from-sonys-ps5-event&captions=true"] And yes, while some launch window exclusives like the impressive Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Arkane’s Deathloop have been pushed to 2021, there’s still plenty of potential hits on the way; expect to see the likes of Godfall, Bugsnax, and The Pathless. And a few unannounced exclusives will probably also debut, as well — though the EAs, WBs, and Ubisofts of the world have largely used their own showcases to hype their upcoming slate, Square Enix, Capcom, 2K, and more all had presences at Sony’s June showing. Sony will likely only double down on highlighting the strength of these third-party relationships, especially to clear up any first-year gaps in its first-party output. But don’t put your hopes on the biggest wished-for and rumored titles out there, especially as the focus is meant to be on immediate reasons to buy a PS5 over the next few months. Sorry GTA 6 and Silent Hill, hopefuls — it’s not quite your time.PSVR 2
Don’t expect much, if any, PlayStation VR focus at the show, which will be all about convincing you to buy a PlayStation 5. While Sony’s next-gen system will support PSVR, and Sony spent last week highlighting upcoming VR games, PSVR itself won’t be a selling point for launch. Even if Sony is seemingly working on a next-gen VR headset. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ps5-ps4s-big-late-2020-games-and-mysteries-beyond-episode-665"] And announcing a PSVR 2 while there’s so much about the PS5 and its launch that remains a mystery would just muddy the waters. Convincing people to spend hundreds of dollars on a new console is a big enough task on its own. Adding an intriguing but non-essential peripheral for hundreds more on top of that is just bad business.PS5’s UI
Sony sneakily included a look at PS5’s UI into the June showcase, and we know to expect a pretty major overhaul for the PlayStation 5’s interface. But if Sony includes the UI in the show expect it to be a sizzle reel, or a neat window dressing for the games on display — Sony’s June event, and the company’s PS4 showcases overall have focused on games, games, games. If anything, a PlayStation blog post after the event is likely the place we’ll get an in-depth breakdown on PS5’s UI. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"]PS5 Teardown
And the same goes for what’s going on inside the PlayStation 5. While a console teardown has been expected for a while, this showcase doesn’t feel like the place for it. This show will be all about convincing as wide an audience as possible to buy a PS5, and getting too into the weeds on its tech beyond buzzwords and CGI commercials risks alienating some of the audience. Again, a follow-up video or detailed PlayStation blog post is probably your best bet for those looking for more nuance. Sony has already been doing this with devs discussing the advantages of the SSD and how 3D audio is being integrated into PS5 games.PS5 Backward Compatibility
This is a tough one. Sony’s messaging on PS5’s backward compatibility plan has been...murky, at best, and it certainly needs to clear the air before launch day when many a confused gamer will start shoving PlayStation 2 discs into the side of the PS5 in the hopes that they can play Twisted Metal: Black. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/did-ps5-backward-compatibility-just-get-more-confusing-ign-daily-fix"] But I honestly wouldn’t expect Sony to spend much time looking forward when so much of their messaging about PS5 has been about looking ahead. Again, a PlayStation blog post is the most likely candidate for this information. But if it does get mentioned, think something talking about overall features like the hardware reveal that ended June’s showcase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] What are you hoping to see revealed at tomorrow’s showcase? Let us know in the comments. The showcase will start at 1pm PT and IGN will kick things off with a pre-show at 12:45 pm PT, with a post-show to break down all the big reveals as soon as the showcase ends. Plus, stay tuned to IGN's weekly PlayStation show Podcast Beyond! and our weekly Next-Gen Console Watch series for detailed analysis of Sony's showcase and how this impacts the next-gen landscape. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, Host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.Rocket League Goes Free-to-Play Next Week
- Cross-Platform Progression Linking - Existing players will be able to link their platforms to their Epic Games Account. More information can be found in the blog post HERE
- Legacy Status Items - Players that already own and have played Rocket League will receive their Legacy items
- Support-A-Creator Live - Rocket League will join the Epic Games Support-A-Creator program. Beginning tomorrow, players will be able to enter a Creator Code in the Item Shop which allows Creators to earn 5% of Credits Spent when their Creator Code is used
- Various Quality of Life Changes and Additions - More info found in today’s blog
- Epic Games Store Debut - Rocket League will make its debut on the Epic Games Store when Rocket League goes free to play! Players who download and launch the game on EGS will also receive the Sun Ray Boost and Hot Rocks Trail items!
- Revamped Tournaments and Challenges - Updates to the Tournaments and Challenges systems will be live
- Season 1 Rocket Pass - Rocket Pass returns with the beginning of Season 1! More details on Season 1 will be revealed soon
- Two New Item Packs - The Endo Starter Pack and Jäger Pack will be available for purchase. The packs will contain:
- Endo Starter Pack - Endo, Gaiden Wheels (Grey), Neo-Thermal Boost, Friction Trail, and 500 Credits
- Jäger Pack - Jäger 619 (Titanium White), Apparatus Wheels (Titanium White), Toon Goal Explosion (Titanium White), and 1000 Credits
- Lastly, in order to celebrate Rocket League going free to play, there will be an all new in-game event called Llama-Rama soon after the September 23 launch. More information about this event will be shared in the near future!
Rocket's League's free-to-play announcement happened in July 2020, when Psyonix revealing that over 75 million players have played its game since its launch in 2015.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.